


Commissioner Drake 'verse

by kyrdwyn



Category: Batman (Comics), Red Robin (Comics)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Family Issues, Jason swears, Kidfic, M/M, OFCs - Freeform, Tim has issues, pre-work death of recurring minor character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-04-27
Updated: 2014-06-09
Packaged: 2017-12-09 18:19:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/776525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kyrdwyn/pseuds/kyrdwyn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tim Drake walked away from Gotham years ago.  Now he's returning as Gotham's new police commissioner, but will that be a good thing for Batman or not?</p><p>Loose collection of stories in this verse, will not be in any order.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. New Commissioner

**Author's Note:**

> _daggerpen asked: Blatantly cheating here- tell me about that story where Tim had it with the Bats and became Gotham's police commissioner._
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> Cheat away! :-) (and aren’t these supposed to be short? Oh well, I fail…)

“I need five minutes with the scene,” Batman told Detective Finn.

“No,” another, familiar, voice said before Detective Finn could respond. ”You let him into the crime scene, Detective, and you’ll be writing parking tickets on the midnight shift.”

Batman turned in surprise to see Tim Drake walking up, wearing a suit and trench coat, badge hanging from a chain around his neck and a dark scowl on his face. ”Sir,” the detective began, only to have Tim cut her off.

“I don’t care what Commissioners Gordon, White, or Gonzales did, Detective,” Tim said. ”Batman is not a member of the GCPD, and we are not letting him contaminate a crime scene or remove evidence just because he stands there and tries to look scary. Understand?”

“Yes, Commissioner,” Detective Finn said, then hurried off when a uniform summoned her over. 

Tim turned to Batman, arms folded across his chest. ”Go home, Batman.”

“Tim,” Batman pleaded, “let me help.”

Tim’s eyes hardened, and he snorted. ”Like your predecessor ‘helped’ with Ives’ case? Despite my requests to stay out of it, he went in and meddled, destroying chain of custody on the evidence and let Boomerang walk. I’m not letting that happen again. So go home and tell Mr. Wayne that Batman, Inc., is not welcome in Gotham.”

Tim leaned in, his voice dropping to a growl reminiscent of his Red Robin days. ”She’s my city now, Dick. Interfere again, and I’ll bring down Batman Inc and everyone working for it. Including your daughter - your Robin.”


	2. Attempted Robbery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _daggerpen answered your question: I feel like writing. I don’t know what. So…_
> 
> _Ooh. How about… Commissioner Tim!verse Roy/Tim, “Crime scene.”_
> 
> Well, it’s long and maybe not what you were anticipating. On the other hand, Roy didn’t want to stop talking… :)

Roy scowled at the world in general. Of course, the one night he runs out to the store with Victoria in tow, some tweaked up Gothamite decided to try to rob it. Fortunately for Roy, Victoria, and the store clerk, a GCPD patrol officer had come in to grab a soda on his break, stopping the robber. But now Roy had to wait and give a statement.

“Roy! Victoria!”

Roy turned and smiled as Tim hurried up. ”Are you two all right?” Tim asked, eyes roving over them, checking for wounds.

Victoria reached out from Roy’s arms and Tim took her automatically, tucking her against the hip where his gun wasn’t. Roy gave the officers a glare over Tim’s head as one of them went to pull out a cell phone, clearly intent on taking a picture. Tim, checking over Victoria, didn’t notice. The officer backed off at Roy’s glare. ”We’re fine, Tim. Your officer did all the hard work.”

Tim opened his mouth to respond, then whipped his head around, glaring at a corner of the store. Robin emerged from the shadows, a sheepish smile on her face. ”I just wanted to make sure your family was okay, Commissioner.”

The officers looked between Tim and Robin, waiting for his orders. Commissioner Drake’s lack of tolerance for the costumed vigilantes operating in his city was well known. He hadn’t yet ordered the police to arrest Batman or any of the others, but Roy suspected it was a matter of time.

“We’re fine, Robin, thank you,” Roy said. Tim didn’t say a word, but he very deliberately turned his back on her. The officers glanced at each other before going back to finishing their duties at the scene. Roy supposed that most people would think Robin’s face had been expressionless as she slipped out the back way, but Roy knew from experience how to read a Bat-expression. And Billie Grayson had been hurt by her Uncle Tim snubbing her like that.

“Let me finish giving my statement so I can take Victoria home,” Roy said to Tim. ”I suspect you’re going to get a visit soon from a certain Bat angry that you upset his little bird.”

Tim snorted. ”She knows I don’t tolerate vigilantes in Gotham. Asking about my family doesn’t negate that.”

“She’s young and hopeful. We all were once.”

Tim stroked Victoria’s blonde hair and looked up at Roy. The expression in his eyes clearly said, _Yes, and look what happened to us._ But he said nothing aloud, merely handing Victoria back to Roy as his radio crackled to life and a double homicide was reported.

“I’ll see you at home?” Tim asked, giving Victoria a kiss on her forehead. She ducked her head against Roy’s neck, giving her other father a sleepy smile.

“Always,” Roy promised. ”Just as long as you come home.”

“Always,” Tim replied with a smile, and a promise, before he left, heading for the scene to beat Batman there, ensure all evidence was collected by the police.

“Daddy go catch bad guys?” Victoria asked sleepily.

Roy smiled. ”Daddy go catch bad guys,” he responded. Whether they wore capes and masks or scuffed sneakers and hoodies, Tim would catch them.


	3. The Offer (Roy)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tim and Roy talk about Tim's new job offer.

Tim entered the house and quietly shut the door. It was after nine, and Victoria would be asleep. As much as Tim would like to slam the door, to yell to Roy about the offer he'd been given, he wouldn't wake her up. It would take her forever to get back to sleep.

"Doug said you'd left the station hours ago." Roy's worried voice drifted from the kitchen to Tim's ears. Tim hung up his coat and sighed as he headed to the kitchen. Roy sat at the kitchen table, laptop open in front of him. He looked up and frowned at Tim. "What happened, babe?"

"Long day," Tim said, grabbing a bottle of beer out of the fridge and sitting down next to his husband. "I had a visit today from the Mayor of Gotham."

"Right, you were on the security detail." Roy closed his laptop, after saving his work, Tim hoped. Roy had gotten aggravated more than once with himself for losing work after forgetting to save. Reaching out with his natural hand, Roy took Tim's free hand in his. "She recognized you?"

"Yes. And that was part of why she was here, other than the fact that Nashville and Gotham are becoming sister cities. She offered me a job."

Roy blinked. "A job?"

Tim took a long sip of his beer. "A job. Specifically, one that would be a hell of a jump for a Homicide Lieutenant."

"What, head of MCU in Gotham?"

"Higher."

Roy frowned. "What, she wants you to take over as Commissioner?"

"Yes."

Roy stared at Tim. Tim stared back. Finally Roy said. "Isn't that position cursed? Like Voldemort and the Defense Against the Dark Arts position cursed?"

Tim couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, no one has made it more than a few years in the position. The last guy is, well, now enjoying the hospitality of a private hospital not in Gotham after enjoying the Joker's dubious hospitality."

"Do you want to go back?" Roy asked softly.

Tim stared at the table, at his and Roy's joined hands, their wedding rings glinting in the florescent lights. "I don't know. It's flattering to be asked, I'd be one of the youngest commissioners in Gotham City. But at the same time..."

"It means going back and dealing with your family. And their secrets."

"Yeah. That." Tim took a swig of his beer. "I haven't seen them since I walked out when I was nineteen. Haven't spoken to them."

"You speak to Jason."

"Not sure Jason would really count himself as a member of the family. Besides, if it wasn't for you and Connor, we wouldn't be speaking."

"I'll give you that." Roy stroked a thumb over Tim's hand. "For what its worth, I think you'd make a good Commissioner. You know Gotham, inside and out, as one of her most prominent citizens and as one of her noctural protectors. Not a lot of people can say that and have the law enforcement credentials to back it up."

"But going to Gotham means dealing with the reason why I became a cop in the first place."

"You've already dealt with part of it." Boomerang's death in a shootout with MNPD had made headlines around the country. Tim had been one of many officers responding to that call.

"Yeah, but the rest, well. Going back would mean dealing with Bruce. And you know how I feel about vigilantes, Roy."

"You get along with Jason and Connor well enough."

"I don't have to deal with them as vigilantes, and they're a bit more mercenary than that."

"And still the oddest couple I think I've ever seen next to us."

"We are not that odd." Tim sighed. "I won't make a decision on Gotham unless you're okay with it, Roy. You know that."

Roy smiled and stroked Tim's hand again. "I know, Tim. And I don't mind moving back to Gotham, though I think I might insist we live somewhere very safe. But since I'm the stay at home dad, I can still take care of Victoria while you're working the insane hours of a police commissioner."

Tim frowned. "I'm missing too much of Victoria's life as it is. I know how hard Jim Gordon worked, and that was with cooperating with Batman. You know I won't. And why."

"I'm not saying you need to, Tim. And trust me, I'll make sure you're there for her. I told you when we got married that I was not going to let you become Bruce. And you know I won't."

"I know." Tim sighed. "I really want this, Roy. I didn't know how much until the mayor made the offer. I didn't think it would ever be an option. But at the same time, I don't want to go back to Gotham and the shit storm that will be my family."

"Think it over, then. You at least owe the mayor, and Gotham, that much. And I'm with you, whatever you decide, Lieutenant Drake."

Smiling, Tim leaned in to give Roy a kiss. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Roy said as he returned the kiss. "Victoria's asleep, you know," he added with an exaggerated leer.

Tim chuckled and stood, tugging Roy up as well. "Then let's take advantage of that, shall we?" 

Roy kissed him, and Tim let the Gotham job offer fall away. He'd think about it later. Right now, he had his husband who wanted his undivided attention, and Tim was more than happy to give it to him.


	4. The Offer (Jason)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tim discusses the offer with Jason Todd.

Silence fell in the living room as Tim finished telling Jason about the job offer. The older man had shown up at Roy and Tim's door that morning, Connor Hawke in tow and a ton of toys for Victoria in his bag. Tim and Jason had gradually put aside the old enmities, for Victoria's sake, and for Roy and Connor's sake. Connor and Roy had stayed in touch, despite each of them cutting off the rest of the "Arrow Clan", and they'd refused to let Jason and Tim's mutual distrust get in the way of their brotherly relationship. Of course, once Roy and Tim had adopted Victoria, things had changed. She adored her uncles and had them wrapped around her finger. Though Tim still maintained that four was too young for the foam sword that Jason had given her.

Jason blinked at Tim. "You are not seriously considering going back to Gotham as their police commissioner."

"Well, I'm certainly considering it. Haven't said yes yet."

Tim watched as Jason downed the rest of his beer before pointing at Tim with the bottle. "Look, Tim, I'll give you once good reason why your answer should be 'no'. You hate Batman. Period, end of story. You don't even go home for Christmas so you don't have to deal with the Bat or his minions, and I can bet that Dick and Alfred beg you to do so. Probably more than they've both begged me." Jason shook his head. "You won't be able to avoid the Bat - or Bruce, and you know as well as I do that separating the two of them is damn near impossible. Becoming Commissioner Drake will mean dealing with that shit again."

"What if it doesn't?" Tim picked at the label on his own beer. "That press conference I gave on the steps of the courthouse, after Boomerang walked... my opinion on Batman and costumed vigilantes is pretty damn clear, and it hasn't changed much in the years since. The Mayor mentioned that attitude in her job offer, that she wanted someone to stand up to Batman, to make the GCPD into what they should be, without relying on 'outside, unaccountable amateurs'."

"You seriously want to go in and fucking clean up the GCPD and make them independent of Batman. Kick him out of Gotham."

"Why not? Batman won't be around forever, and you and I have both seen what happens when he's missing. Gotham deserves a police force that isn't so secondary to a man in a cape and tights that the city is helpless when he's not around."

Jason groaned. "Oh hell, you're talking yourself into this. Which means you're talking me into going back into Gotham because I'm not about to stop doting on my favorite niece just because one of her dads is an idiot with more balls than sense." Jason leaned forward. "Promise me one thing, Tim. Two, actually."

Tim raised an eyebrow. "If I can." He'd stopped making most promises a long time ago, when his promise to a dying Ives had been broken by Batman's interference.

"One, you'll make sure Victoria is safe, and if that means calling in the big guns, and by that I mean Alfred, you will. No matter how much you hate to do that."

"Jason, if anything happens to me and Roy, Victoria's guardians are you and Connor. We don't trust anyone else to keep her safe, and out of a Robin suit," he added with a look. They'd had an interesting discussion when they'd realized that the newest Robin in Gotham could only be Billie Grayson, adopted daughter of Dick Grayson.

"Huh. Bruce and Ollie will fight that."

"Let them. I trust you more than either of them. What's the second thing?" he asked before Jason could say anything else.

"I want video of you as police commissioner telling off Batman. Seriously. Video. HD. Full audio. Better if you get Batman and Bruce as head of Batman, Inc. But I'll take the Bat." 

Tim laughed. "I'll see what I can do on that one."

"Good. So. I guess congratulations are in order, Commissioner Drake. Don't forget the Kevlar. You're gonna need it." Jason gave Tim a wry grin.

"Thanks. Don't suppose you've got any spares?" Tim asked.

"Not for you. But for Roy and Victoria, sure." Jason got up and headed for the kitchen.

Tim didn't follow, instead finishing his beer. Setting foot back in Gotham for the first time in years was going to be the hardest thing he'd done. Taking over as commissioner, trying to build the force back up to what it should be would be right up there. Staring at his empty bottle, Tim let a smile cross his face.

He couldn't wait to get started.


	5. Brotherly Bonding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brother bonding, Tim and Jason style.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I blame daggerpen for me finishing this chapter. And for helping me with the Jason-muse.

Tim and Jason were engaged in their version of brotherly bonding when the doorbell rang. They looked at each other, then each went for a weapon. Jason stayed behind the corner, hidden, as Tim checked the screen near the door that acted as a peephole. He blinked at the sight of Dick Grayson on the other side, waving sheepishly at the camera.

Sighing, Tim opened the door, keeping his firearm hidden. "Dick."

"Hey, Tim. Can I come in?"

"Why?"

Dick looked at him, startled. "Because I haven't seen my little brother in years and I wanted to catch up? Without discussing . . . business," he added, hands up in a non-threatening gesture. "Just catching up on other stuff."

Tim bit his lip in thought. He caught the faint tapping on the wall, Jason's signal for 'why the fuck not'. Nodding, Tim stepped back and opened the door wider. "Come on in."

Dick grinned and bounced into the house, the years not diminishing his personality. He did stop short, though, when he caught sight of Jason standing in Tim's living room, firearm in his hand. "Jason."

"Dick."

Tim walked past Dick, nodding at Jason. "Might as well join us," he said to Dick, going back into the kitchen and settling down at the table, putting his firearm down to one side and picking up the barrel of his disassembled firearm and the cleaning rod that was next to it. Jason sat across from Tim and started cleaning his own firearm.

"What's going on?" Dick asked, standing in the doorway of the kitchen.

"Brotherly bonding, big bird," Jason said. 

"Connor and Roy took Victoria out for the day so Jason and I are taking advantage of the kid free time to do weapons maintenance."

"Commish here needed to clean his service weapons, and I figured I'd mooch off his cleaning supplies."

"Like I don't keep extra just for you, Jason," Tim replied with a look.

Jason grinned back at him. "I knew you loved me."

"No, that's Connor."

Dick looked back and forth at the two men, both cleaning guns while bantering. "I didn't realize you were back in Gotham, Jay."

"Only for the weekend. Wouldn't be here if someone," he said with a pointed look at Tim, "didn’t have more balls than sense and took the Commish job here, forcing me to visit to dote on my niece."

"I don't force you to do anything. However, Victoria would be very upset if she didn't see her Uncle Jay again."

"You're raising a tyrant, Drake."

"Yep," Tim said, continuing to clean his gun. "Sit down, Dick. You're making me nervous."

Dick pulled out a chair and sat down between Tim and Jason.

"Feel free to start cleaning something," Jason said. "My Ruger could use it," he added, nodding at the .40 caliber pistol on the table in the 'to be cleaned' area. 

Dick eyed the pistol but didn't move to pick it up. "I guess I'm not sure where to start," he said.

"Didn't they teach you how at the police academy?" Tim asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It was Bludhaven, Tim. Surprised they taught him how to use a gun, much less clean it."

"No, not with cleaning the gun. But with this," he gestured between Jason and Tim.

"Jason and Connor are dating. Roy and Connor decided that they'd rather stay in touch and tell the rest of their family to fuck off, so Jason and I ended up hanging out by default."

"Then Roy and Tim adopted Victoria, and the little tyrant decided Connor and I were her favorite uncles. So we drop in a lot more often to gift her with inappropriate presents and sugar her up before dropping her back on her unsuspecting parents." Jason shrugged and started reassembling his gun.

"Yes, did I ever thank you for that last gift you got her?" Tim asked, glaring at Jason.

"You have to admit, she loved the sword."

"She loved attacking me and Roy with it."

"That's what I meant."

"You two actually get along," Dick said, blinking between them.

"For the most part," Jason said. "We still have some differences. But we've bonded over his kid and our mutual dislike of certain things that we won't discuss today."

Tim glanced over at Dick in time to see the expression on the older man's face as he realized what those things were - Batman, Batman Inc., and Bruce. Dick didn't say anything, though, just watched as Tim reassembled his primary service weapon and began disassembling Jason's Ruger. "You're good at that," Dick said with faint surprise.

"I'm a cop, Dick. Have been for years. Keeping my service weapon clean can and has saved my life. Besides, need to set an example for the men and women on the force."

"Face it, Drake, you think it's fun, too."

Tim grinned at Jason. "I wouldn't say fun, but I do enjoy our brotherly bonding time." He paused and then said, while cleaning the barrel of the pistol, not looking at Jason. "Fun is when I kick your ass on the firing range."

Jason paused at that. "Oh, it's on, Drake. It is on."

"Usual terms?"

"Done." Jason looked over at Dick. "Care to join in?"

Dick looked between them, clearly confused. Tim would have felt sorry for him, but the few times Tim had reached out to Dick over the years, Dick had always tried to get Tim to apologize to Bruce and come back home, telling Tim he needed to reach out and take the first step. Tim had stopped trying after Dick had said that Bruce hadn't meant any harm in checking on the case against Ives' murderer. Whether or not Bruce had meant 'any harm' by it, and part of Tim was convinced that Bruce had meant to ensure the case wasn't a capital one, the fact was that Bruce had interfered when Tim had expressly asked him not to. That was what Tim couldn't accept, and what he knew Bruce would never apologize for.

But because of all that, Bruce's unwillingness to apologize and Tim's own unwillingness to forgive and Dick's unwillingness to accept those facts, Dick was out of the loop on Tim's life - and his relationships, with Roy, with Jason, with others.

"Lowest score on the firing range has to buy dinner for the winner and his partner. And kid if Drake beats me," Jason was explaining to Dick. "With three of us, well, loser buys dinner for the winner, middle score buys his own?"

"Sounds good to me," Tim said with a shrug as he finished with the Ruger. 

Dick looked like he wanted to, but shook his head. "I can't. I have pat--" he cut himself off. Tim frowned, seating the magazine into the pistol with a bit more force than needed, knowing what Dick had been about to say. He had patrol tonight.

"Your loss, Grayson," Jason said with a shrug. He glanced at Tim, then stood. "I'll show you out, so you can get to whatever you need to get to." He put a hand on Dick's shoulder, tugging a bit as Dick looked like he was going to say something else. Tim refused to look at him, instead putting the cleaning supplies back into their case. He heard Dick and Jason leave the room. He didn't know what Jason would be saying to Dick, and he didn't want to know. 

All he needed to think about was beating Jason on the range, and where Jason would be paying for dinner tonight.

* * *

"Jason--"

"Don't, Dick. Just don't. You said you weren't going to bring up your family's business."

"It's yours and his--"

"No, it's not. Not anymore, Dick. My family business is me and Connor, period. With Drake and Harper and my niece at times. Not Batman, Inc., or anything else."

Dick frowned. "Jason, you've worked Gotham as Robin and Red Hood, you can't honestly think that Tim is better off not working with us. You know how Gotham is."

Jason snorted as he opened the front door and gestured for Dick to leave. "He's tilting at goddamned windmills, but I get why he is, Dick. Despite everything Gotham and Batman have done to him, he's still a closet idealist who thinks that Gotham deserves a police force that isn't dependent on Batman to actually get shit done. He's seen it in other cities. And the kid'll fucking martyr himself trying to give that to Gotham. And I'm not going to try to stop him. Any more than he tries to stop me and Connor. I'll curse him at his grave and help Harper and Victoria pick up the pieces, but I'm not stopping him. And if you were anything like the big brother of his you once claimed to be, you'd help him instead of whining that he won't work with you. Or are you only his family when he's walking Bruce's party line?"

He slammed the door on Dick's reply and locked it, heading back into the kitchen. "Drake, where are you taking us to dinner tonight, because you are not beating me."

Tim looked up from where he'd been packing the range bag for them. "Nope, you'll be picking the place, Jay."

"Fat chance, kid." He grabbed the ammo box and headed for the garage and Tim's car. "Hope your wallet can take the hit tonight." He pushed thoughts of Dick, and Batman, out of his head. Right now he was focused on beating Tim, in slightly less messy ways than when they were younger. 

Brotherly bonding at its finest, maybe not. But still. He'd take it.


End file.
